To celebrate its 35th anniversary, the internationally renowned Kodo drumming troupe staged three days of performances at Tokyo's Suntory Hall in mid-August, with a different theme for each show.
On the first night, Kodo played together with the New Japan Philharmonic; on the second, the troupe showcased its latest, musically nuanced program, "Rasen" ("Spiral"); while the closer featured a collaboration with two contemporary-dance companies — the theatrically inclined Dazzle and the acrobatically stunning Blue Tokyo.
The whole event, which was comprised of wadaiko (traditional Japanese drumming), music and dance, pressed all the right buttons for a wide range of performing arts fans. However, it also displayed the creative direction Kodo has taken after the troupe began being fostered by its artistic director since 2012 — the 66-year-old kabuki onnagata (a male actor specializing in female roles) Bando Tamasaburo V.